As much as 20 percent of the North American population is affected by a sleep-related breathing disorder such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). While oral appliances are a well-known and often preferred treatment option, only about 60 percent of OSA cases can be effectively treated through their use. Zephyr Sleep Technologies has developed the MATRx Plus system, which allows for testing treatment response beforehand, rather than after an expensive, time-consuming process. MATRx Plus is cleared in the US for diagnostic indications and approved in Canada for both diagnostic and theragnostic indications.
The introduction of the MATRx Plus marks the beginning of the partnership between Dentsply Sirona and Zephyr. This cooperation will be spearheaded by Dr. Stefan Hehn, Vice President Imaging Systems, who has been appointed to Zephyr’s board of directors by Dentsply Sirona.
“I’m excited to work closely with the Zephyr team to integrate existing Dentsply Sirona products and technology with the MATRx and MATRx Plus to make a better, safer and faster dental solution to treat OSA. This will not only make dentists more productive, but also significantly enhance the patient experience,” stated Dr. Hehn.
“We are pleased to have Dr. Hehn join our board of independent corporate directors. Dr. Hehn not only brings a wealth of experience, but he also has a track record of successfully bringing new technologies and applications to the dental market”, said Greg Ogrodnick, Zephyr’s Board Chairman.
“Bringing on Dentsply Sirona as both an investor and strategic partner opens up a whole new world of opportunity. A significant challenge to any emerging technology company is building a path to market, and by partnering with a company of Dentsply Sirona’s stature it increases credibility with our customers and provides an established and extensive network to create, build and deliver the best treatments possible for sleep-related breathing disorders,” said Paul Cataford, Zephyr’s Chief Executive Officer. “We are now one step closer to helping more people lead healthy and productive lives through better sleep.”
For Dentsply Sirona’s part, they offer the SICAT Air, the first 3D solution that enables the analysis of the upper airways in the 3D volume and illustrates the workflow of an appliance-based treatment completely digitally through the combination of 3D imaging systems like Galileos and selected Orthophos SL 3D units, digital impressions of the CEREC Omnicam, and the SICAT Air software. With this workflow, dental practitioners can quickly and easily order mandibular advancement appliances like OPTISLEEP by SICAT that reduce or alleviate the symptoms of mild to moderate OSA.
